WARD, S.C. — The company over an animal processing and rendering plant in Saluda County said there are no immediate plans to lay off or release employees after a fire caused significant damage on Thursday.
Darling Ingredients, which acquired the Ward, South Carolina plant's parent company Valley Proteins Inc. in May, said that plans are now underway to assess the damage and determine their next steps.
"We deeply regret that this incident has occurred," the company said in a statement. "Our top priority is the safety and well-being of our employees, contractors, and the community."
The statement from Darling Ingredients went on to say that the company was appreciative of the swift response of local first responders.
Those crews, and several more from surrounding counties, were responding to the call of a fire at the Valley Proteins plant on Valpro Road that was called in around 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving day. And while the fire was under control by 5 p.m. that afternoon according to officials, it continued to burn well into the night.
Saluda County Emergency Management's Josh Morton described the damage as considerable.
A spokesperson for Darling Ingredients confirmed just before noon on Friday that the fire had been extinguished. And with that knowledge, the company is looking toward mitigating the impact the fire has on the supply chain.
"We anticipate we are able to process the raw material at other Darling Ingredients facilities and are working with our customers and suppliers to ensure minimal immediate service interruption," the company statement read.
The company described the Ward plant as "essential to the poultry industry" adding that it processes poultry by-products and "creates sustainable feed ingredients and feedstock for renewable diesel.
The plant employs roughly 160 people, the company said, none of whom were injured.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.